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2 months ago
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USA's basketball team overcame a major scare in one of its final Olympic warmups on Saturday after fighting back from a 14-point halftime deficit against South Sudan.
Eight days before their opener at the Paris Games, the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry were forced to dig deep in a dramatic 101-100 win over the world's 33rd-ranked side in London.
South Sudan, who only have two players with NBA experience in Carlik Jones and Wenyen Gabriel, even took the lead in the final 20 seconds against a team packed with the league's biggest stars.
However, with eight seconds remaining LeBron showed why he is regarded by some as the greatest player of all time, with the Lakers icon pulling out a game-winning layup right at the death to spare USA's blushes.
LeBron was one of few players to walk away from the game with his head held high after recording 23 points and six rebounds on the night.
LeBron James and USA overcame a major scare against South Sudan on Saturday night
This close shave serves as another huge wake-up call to USA on the eve of this summer's Olympics, with their first group game against Serbia to come next Sunday.
Earlier this month DailyMail.com revealed that insiders fear USA Basketball's pursuit of another gold medal in Paris could be derailed by 'ego and other bulls***'.
Team USA has won gold at each of the past four Olympics and all but one Games since 1988 - but preparations for this summer have not been smooth.
Despite boasting a star-filled roster that includes Steph Curry, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid as well as all-time great LeBron, Steve Kerr's men were dealt another scare against Australia on Monday.
They recovered from that sluggish display and questions over the team's harmony to thrash Serbia on Wednesday, only to move two steps backwards again with Saturday's narrow win over South Sudan.
These recent woes have prompted concerns that USA could face 'embarrassment' in Paris with players accused of being out for themselves rather than the team.
South Sudan, ranked as the 33rd best team in the world, took the lead with 20 seconds to go
But LeBron followed that up by pulling out the game-winning layup with eight seconds left
The close shave was another wake-up call for USA eight days before their Olympic opener
'They will never hear the end of it if they lose, they are supposed to be the best in the world, (so) act like it and don't let ego and other BS take over what should be automatic,' a source told DailyMail.com
'But with their recent play, even though they have won these warmup games, it is a bit suspect and troubling that they aren't dominating.
'It's making many with USA basketball, the coaches and the people that have put the team together like Grant Hill be extremely nervous that they won't be able to finish the job and end up losing, which would be an incredible embarrassment.
'The ego that lies within the team, everyone is out for their own and not for the team as a whole. That can and will be a disaster if they all don't change the thought process, they have to play like a team.
'They haven't looked good and have been exposed, and many international teams that have played together longer are more cohesive and have a decent chance of beating the USA team.'
English (US)